Relatively cool temperatures throughout the summer months have
slowed the maturity of area corn crops, leading to a late start on
harvest this year.

By Bailey Naugle

Relatively cool temperatures throughout the summer months have slowed the maturity of area corn crops, leading to a late start on harvest this year.

Corn harvest in the Dalhart area typically kicks off in mid to late September and is well underway by early October. However, the mild weather that we enjoyed in late summer has caused area corn crops to progress at a slower than average rate. This means that many local growers will begin corn harvest later than normal, and damp weather in the area over the weekend could delay cutting even further.

Marc Welch, owner of Welch Grain Companyin Dalhart, said that only two of his company’s five locations, Dalhart and Ware, have received corn so far. “It’s not going strong yet,” he said. “Normally (harvest is going) by the first of October, but because of the cool summer it’s delayed a little bit.”

It is still too early in harvest to estimate the overall quality of this corn crop, but Welch Grain has received reports of yields ranging from 173 to 252 bushels per acre.

According to Welch, corn prices are currently higher than normal, but input expenses – such as fertilizer and crop protection products – are also elevated.